


The Switch

by Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr



Category: Transformers Generation One
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 08:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4256589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr/pseuds/Thatoneguyyoudidntknowfromtumblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something odd under Prowl's desk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Switch

The switch was small and simple.

It had two settings, as toggle switches often do, and a single wire trailing from it into the mass of wires leading from the wall into the tactician's computer.

There were three strange things about the switch. Everyone knew switches using electricity required two wires to work. The fact that this only had one made it apparently useless. The second strange thing was the location of the switch; on the underside of Prowl's desk. Whether Prowl knew about the switch was unknown. The third strange thing was the labling. One side said 'magic', the other, 'more magic'. It was currently in the 'more magic' position.

"What do you think it does?"

Sunstreaker gave his brother a look. The two were currently waiting for Prowl to return from speaking to Red Alert. The yellow twin figured they were in enough trouble already, the red twin was apparently bored enough to go looking for more.

"It doesn't do anything, dipslag," he muttered. "Get away from there."

"How do you know? Sideswipe asked, changing position to look at the switch from another angle. 

"It's only got one wire. Everyone knows things need two wires to work."

"Prowl wouldn't have a switch that didn't work, it's not logical," Sides argued, reaching to touch it. Sunny quickly stood and backed to the other end of the room as his twin flipped the switch to the 'magic' setting.

Prowl's computer gave a whine, the screen went blue and all sound ceased within the room. Sunstreaker's optics were as wide as his twin's.

"What did you--"

"I don't kno--"

"Well fix it!"

"I'm trying!"

A few frantic moments later, and after Sideswipe flipped the switch back to the 'more magic' position, Prowl's computer was rebooted and all the proper programs reopened in their proper orders and positions. Moments after Sideswipe slid into his seat, Prowl walked through the door. The day went on.

***

"Prowl?"

"Yes, Wheeljack?"

The engineer glanced at the tactician, whom was standing off to the side in his office, giving Wheeljack room to do the upgrades he needed to the computer set into Prowl's desk. As this required some swapping out of parts and cables, Wheeljack was currently under Prowl's desk, where he had come across something very strange.

"There's a switch, here."

"Is there?"

Wheeljack glanced at Prowl again, noting the distinct lack of inflection other than a slight curiosity in the officer's tone. "Yeah. Any idea where it goes?"

"What kind of switch is it?" Prowl asked, returning his gaze to his pad.

"Toggle," Wheeljack said after a slight pause. "It's okay got one wire..." he trailed off as he shifted to follow said wire, carefully picking his way through the maze of cabling obscuring the path of the small copper thread. "...huh."

"Hm?" Prowl asked, glancing over about half way before his attention was caught again by the pad in his hands.

"It just leads to a grounding pin."

"That's odd."

"Yeah." Focused as he was on the conundrum of the switch, it took Wheeljack a few moments to realize that there had been a very slight note of amusement to the tactician's voice. Puzzled and distracted, he lifted his head, finding that Prowl's attention was still focused on his pad. Deciding to not interrupt him any further from whatever was so important that he was ignoring almost everything else, Wheeljack continued with his own work, finding a few minutes later that the copper thread was directly in the way of the last part he needed to place. The computer would work without the part, but it would be more prone to crashing in the event that the base's power had to switch over to the generators, for any reason. Caught up in his own thought process, he absently reached to flip the switch without saying anything of his intent to Prowl.

The computer in the desk gave a whine and crashed.

Prowl's head jerked up and he and Wheeljack met gazes. Wheeljack's resembled the famous human phrase 'deer in the headlights' until he realized that Prowl's gaze wasn't angry. In fact, the bewildered engineer was hard-pressed to identify the expression in Prowl's optics as it flew against everything he'd ever seen from the tactician. "Is there a problem?" He asked quietly.

"N-not really," Wheeljack replied, moving to take a closer look at the switch under Prowl's desk. His confusion mounted when he noticed the labels. Currently the switch was in the 'magic' position. Which meant that it had been in the 'more magic' position previously. Wheeljack restored the switch to the 'more magic' position and hit the power for the computer. It booted flawlessly.

Curiosity overcame his good sense and when the computer was fully online, he flipped the switch to the 'magic' position again.

The computer promptly whined and crashed once more.

"Wheeljack to Jazz."

"Yah?"

Normally the informal response would be a source of amusement for the engineer, right now, under Prowl's increasingly annoyed, at least that's what Wheeljack had come to believe the expression was, gaze, he was just glad it was brief. "Know anything about a switch under Prowl's desk?"

Silence. "What?" Jazz asked, tone confused. "What switch where?"

The confusion seemed genuine, but Wheeljack knew how good of an actor Jazz could be. "There's a switch under Prowl's desk which crashes his computer. It's toggle, with two settings. 'Magic' and 'More Magic'."

"I've honestly never heard of it." The sincerity in the agent's voice was real; there was no carefully-hidden amusement that 'Jack could hear.

"Thanks," he said, closing the comm. Carefully, he set the switch into the 'more magic' position and booted the computer. "I'm leaving this here," he told Prowl. "Just be careful not to bump it. When I've got more time I'll come back to remove it."

"Thank you," Prowl murmured, sitting in his chair and beginning to work once more.

***

"So what's it all about?" Jazz asked, after examining the switch carefully. "D'you know who put it there?"

Prowl regarded the Porsche quietly for a few moments, then nodded. "I do."

"Well...who?" Jazz prompted, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I did."

Jazz stared. "What? Why?"

"It was an experiment."

"An...experiment."

"Yes."

The two black and white mechs gazed at each other, Prowl's optics calm, Jazz's expression bemused. "Should...I really ask what that experiment is?"

"No."

"Ah." Jazz nodded his acceptance. "Well, farbeit for me to deny another mech his fun."

Prowl smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on A Story About 'Magic' in the Jargon File.
> 
> http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/magic-story.html


End file.
